York business catering to collectors

YORK, Maine — Signed artwork from the likes of Salvador Dali and Pablo Picasso, old baseball cards and Boyd's Bears are among the wide range of offerings at Seacoast Collectibles and Auctions, a new shop on Route 1 near the York and Kittery town line.

YORK, Maine — Signed artwork from the likes of Salvador Dali and Pablo Picasso, old baseball cards and Boyd's Bears are among the wide range of offerings at Seacoast Collectibles and Auctions, a new shop on Route 1 near the York and Kittery town line.

Steve Brochu opened the business at the beginning of December.

Store manager Liz McStay called the inventory of the shop "a hodgepodge of everything," with the price items ranging from 50 cents to $12,000.

Brochu labeled himself an "entrepreneur," and shared that he also owns Seacoast Roofing and Construction in York, which he has operated for 14 years.

He said he developed an interest in antiques because his grandfather grew up during the Great Depression and never threw anything away.

"It didn't matter if it was a piece of aluminum foil," Brochu said. "He would keep everything."

When Brochu's grandparents died, everything was left in his hands and the inventory inspired him to open the antique shop.

Seacoast Collectibles is sectioned into spaces that vendors can rent for a monthly fee ranging from $65 to $400, depending on the size of the space. In addition to the monthly rent, 10 percent of the money made off any item sold also goes to Seacoast Collectibles.

A vendor who is renting a space can bring in whatever he or she would like to sell, whether it be antiques or handmade crafts.

This makes for a wide variety of items. One of the sections rented out by a vendor recently featured handmade jewelry created with beads and antique buttons, while the another rented space featured old NASCAR products.

Brochu's business has 20 vendors, but he said there is capacity to hold at least 30 more vendors and he would love to have them.

He plans to continue expanding his business by running a flea market just outside of the building when summer arrives.

Brochu emphasized repeatedly that he is a firm believer in giving back to the local community.

He said that he would love to use the profits generated from Seacoast Collectibles to help open a substance abuse rehabilitation center. As a recovered alcoholic, Brochu said he appreciates the good a rehab center can do, adding, "somebody, somewhere has to step forward."